So, as assistant GM John Ricco acknowledged on Wednesday evening, they still have the money they were going to spend on Zobrist.

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Ideally that was going to allow them to think bigger.

As in: Go get an impact player to beef up the offense and take advantage of the greatest bargain in baseball, a starting rotation of five potential All-Stars, when Zack Wheeler comes back at midseason, that will cost them a grand total of $8 million next season.

The Mets had other ideas, agreeing with 30-year-old Asdrubal Cabrera on a two-year, $18 million contract a couple of hours later. It's not a bad signing, giving them a bit of an upgrade at shortstop over Wilmer Flores and Ruben Tejada, but it's definitely not thinking big.

That doesn't mean this can't work for the Mets. Adding two switch-hitting infielders on short-term contracts leaves the door open for what the club hopes will be the homegrown double play combination of Amed Rosario and Dilson Herrera in a couple of years.

Asdrubal Cabrera becomes the Mets' new shortstop but he has fallen off from his 25-homer season from 2011. (Brian Blanco/Getty Images)

In the meantime, the depth and flexibility that the two pickups provide are needed, partly because of the uncertainty created by David Wright's spinal stenosis, and partly because Flores recently fractured his ankle playing winter ball.

Or as Terry Collins said at his media session here Tuesday, referring also to the injury Ruben Tejada suffered in the playoffs on Chase Utley's dirty slide:

"I've got two shortstops with broken legs. Yeah, I'm concerned."

Cabrera addresses that concern, but scouts say he has slipped significantly since 2011, when his 25-homer, 92-RBI season earned him an All-Star selection and talk that he would be an elite shortstop for years to come.

Since then his numbers have fallen, though Cabrera did hit .265 for the Rays last season with 48 extra-base hits, including 15 home runs. And, according to scouts, Cabrera's defense has slipped as well.

"He's lost range," an AL scout said Wednesday night. "Because of that he's probably a little below average defensively, but overall I'd say he'll make the plays he's supposed to make. You could do worse there."

That's not the most ringing endorsement ever, but in a way it seems to sum up the Mets' plan for this offseason: work the lower tiers of free agency and hope that a bunch of smaller moves turns out to be better than a big splash.

Zobrist would have been the exception, though he's not exactly a needle-mover, if you will.

But he's the only player the Mets seem to feel is worth a major investment. Without Zobrist, they should at least consider something bigger. Desmond is out of the equation now, after the acquisition of Cabrera, but there is still plenty of Cespedes intrigue.

However, Ricco indicated the Mets will move forward instead by looking for bullpen help and a lefthanded-hitting complement to Juan Lagares in center field.

"We have the resources to address a number of those areas," Ricco said.

That might well include re-signing Bartolo Colon to a one-year deal, as they now need depth in the starting rotation with Niese gone.

The Mets shake up the roster by trading for Todd Walker (l.) and Asdrubal Cabrera. (New York Daily News)

But what about reaching higher into the market now with the $15 million-a-year they saved on Zobrist?

"It really doesn't change our strategy," Ricco said.

In other words: don't count on it.

Fans have a right to expect more, after a season in which they flocked to Citi Field. After all, how many times did Sandy Alderson say in the past that when the attendance — and revenues — increased, the payroll would increase too?

Now it looks as if it will rise marginally at best, not much above $100 million.

To be fair, there is a solid argument to be made for not signing Cespedes, especially if he gets the six-year, $120 million-plus deal he has said he wants.

But if his market slips, as some baseball people are speculating it might, and you could limit his deal to five years, then there is a better argument for signing him.

You could live with Cespedes playing a lot of center field — he was actually OK there until the postseason — for the production he'd give you over 162 games.

Neil Walker is a solid consolation prize after missing out on Ben Zobrist. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Yes, he's wildly streaky, as we all saw, from his sensational six weeks in August and September to his miserable postseason, but Cespedes is a proven slugger after four years in the big leagues and he has a certain wow factor that shouldn't be dismissed either.

You could make a similar argument for Desmond. He was considered a borderline elite shortstop a year ago, then had a bad 2015 season, but baseball people believe he still has All-Star talent.

Early on Wedesday one Mets person said Desmond was an intriguing possibility, though he acknowledged the cost probably would be too high, and hours later that notion was confirmed when the Mets landed Cabrera instead.